7 Best Meditation & Breathing Apps To Reduce Anxiety

7 Best Meditation & Breathing Apps To Reduce Anxiety

The fast-paced nature of our modern-day lives takes a huge toll on our physical, mental, and emotional health. Due to the ever-increasing complexities of the world, we are under more stress and anxiety than ever. 

Of course, none of this is sustainable in the long term. Our bodies have their limits and sooner or later, we are bound to hit a brick wall.

There is a need for something that can help us replenish our physical and mental capacities just as fast as we expend them. Practices like meditation, mindfulness, breathing exercises and yoga have become necessities in the modern world. They help us ward off the side effects of the stressful lives we all live. As such, we can continue to do our best, without losing our sanity.

But you might not always know how to do them effectively – this is where meditation and breathing apps come in. We don’t have to figure out how to do these practices effectively on our own. There are tons of meditation and breathing apps that can guide us on our journey to peace, tranquility, and better physical and mental health.

All of the meditation and breathing apps mentioned below provide great features that help us make meditation and breathing exercises, part of our lives.

Let’s take a look at our top 7 picks for the best meditation and breathing apps in this category:


1. The Mindfulness App

This app is one of the most popular apps for meditation on the planet. Unlike some other apps, both beginners and experts can use it for their practices. The user interface is super clean and intuitive which is always a bonus. It has a 5-day guided practice for mindfulness that takes you through the basics.

There are also tons of other guided meditations that you can tune into even if you have a busy lifestyle. The app also comes with reminders so you never miss a scheduled meditation session.

The app is free to use, but if you want premium features, it will cost you $60 for a yearly subscription.

Best Meditation & Breathing Apps To Reduce Anxiety

2. Headspace

Headspace is yet another famous app that most would recommend. As soon as you start using the app, you will come across some impressive illustrations that truly enhance the user experience.

According to the Headspace team, this app is your gym membership for the mind. That’s a great way to describe it because you will be getting a ton of guided meditations, mindfulness techniques, sleep including music, nature soundscapes, and storytelling sleepcasts.

The app costs $13 monthly or $70 annually, which is justified for what you’re getting.

Best Meditation & Breathing Apps To Reduce Anxiety

3. Calm

As the name of the app suggests, using it will help you feel calmer in a world that is quite noisy. It nudges you to complete a daily exercise to ensure you stay calm. But that is just the beginning.

You can also find a specific meditation exercise that best suits your state of mind. So, whether you’re anxious, stressed, or feeling panicked, you can locate a particular meditation to help you feel calmer.

The app also has a stories section where you can hear actors like Matthew McConaughey or Jerome Flynn tell you stories while you gently go to sleep. The app costs $70 annually.

Best Meditation & Breathing Apps To Reduce Anxiety

4. Yoga Download

Although yoga is typically looked at as a form of physical exercise, an argument can be made that it is a meditative practice. Also, there are countless breathing exercises in yoga that can help reduce your stress and anxiety. And that is where this app shines. It lets you build a yoga routine that is personalized to you. That means it suits your preferences and timing.

One of the best features of this app is that it connects you with internationally acclaimed yoga teachers. So, you can learn yoga and breathing exercises the right way by taking one of the 1500+ online classes.

To enjoy full access to all the classes, you need to register and pay a subscription fee.

Best Meditation & Breathing Apps To Reduce Anxiety

5. Aura

Aura is an AI-driven app, which means you will get the best personal recommendation for your situation and mood. It is popular for its three-minute sessions and 30-second anxiety busters.

People who need to quickly manage their stress or feel calmer can use one of these sessions. For instance, you can use it before going on a stage to give a speech, or going on a date, or before a job interview.

One great thing about the app is that you can use a whole host of its features for free. But if you really want to dig in, you can go for the premium features that will cost you $60 for a yearly subscription.

Best Meditation & Breathing Apps To Reduce Anxiety

6. Sattva

This sleek-looking app is a favorite of many. The user interface itself speaks volumes about the experience that it provides. The best thing about this app is that it draws from the Vedic principles of meditation (the original source) and is, thus, one of the most comprehensive apps in this category.

Although many think that it is for serious meditators only, it can just as well be used by beginners. It features meditation sessions and mantra chanting by Sanskrit scholars that is just the icing on the cake one needs. Another great feature in the app allows you to track your progress using a meditation journal. This keeps you motivated to stay the course and eliminate most if not all of your anxiety.

Best Meditation & Breathing Apps To Reduce Anxiety

7. Insight Timer

Insight Timer will be the app of your choice if you are looking for a truly free meditation and breathing app. But just because it is free doesn’t mean it lacks any of the features you might want. In fact, the app offers more than 45,000 free meditations with 10+ guided meditations added every day.

You can filter through this library based on your need, time length, or specific benefit you’re looking for.

The app also features therapeutic talks from some of the greatest spiritual gurus and psychotherapists. Indian yogi Sadhguru and psychotherapist Anthony DeMello are just two of the examples.

The app also has a handful of paid features that’ll cost you $60 yearly, but most people might not actually need them.

Best Meditation & Breathing Apps To Reduce Anxiety